What happens after the 19th Major for Tiger Woods?

Tiger loves winning, there is no questioning that. It seems he does mark his place in history not by how many strokes he stomps the field by, such as 12 for the 1997 Masters or 15 shots at the 2000 U.S. Open, but by winning more Major Championships than Jack Nicklaus (currently holds 18 Majors).

So that begs the question. When Tiger reaches the monumental 19th Major…though tying Jack at 18 will give him an automatic ESPY, will Tiger continue striving for 20+? Will he retire and go live on his own island? Will he keep being Tiger and try to win tournaments, but focus on any other goals/records? Note, I said “when” Tiger wins 19, not “if”. He will do it, just when is the question.

Jack is known as the greatest golfer ever not because of his most 2nd place wins, or his come from behind victories (which he laps Tiger in those categories), but his Major victories. So theoretically, once Tiger reaches 19, he “will” be the greatest golfer ever regardless of other feats/records Jack has to date. When he reaches 18, he will most likely be given an award for youngest player ever to reach that milestone…though there should be an award for “only other player to ever reach that milestone”.

Comments 6

I should elaborate on my previous article about Tiger’s dominance. He has a greater winning percentage now then he did in the early 2000’s…I heard he has won 37 of his last 85 starts or something.

But, the “way” in which he is winning is different now then it was in the early 2000’s. I am simply stating I want to see the old Tiger stomp on the jugulars of his competitors like he used to. “That” Tiger, I believe, might be gone or in hiding.

In my mind there is no doubt that Tiger won’t quit. I think he’ll want to set the bar so high that no one will ever beat it. If he stops being a consistent contender then maybe he’ll start realizing that it’s over. But by then he’ll have 20+… 25 majors maybe? Guys like Tiger and most professional athletes have such a competitive drive in them, that they have a hard time handling life after they’ve retired. Take Brett Favre for example. He doesn’t want to stop playing football but physically he just can’t do it anymore. It’ll be extremely hard for him to adjust to life without football. Golf is a different sport and Tiger is in great physical shape. So couple that with his competitive desire and maybe he’ll never stop. Maybe he’ll be still in the hunt for majors when he’s over 50. I just don’t see him stopping at 19 and wouldn’t be shocked if we hear his name lurking near the top of the leader board consistently for the rest of his life.

I don’t see Tiger stopping after reaching 19 major wins. That’s assuming he reaches 19 in the late 30’s. If he reaches the 19 mark fairly early, he’ll continue to play and try to set the bar to a point that almost unimaginable. I don’t see Tiger playing competitive golf much past the age of 42 or 43 though… unless by something weird happens and he ends up not having 19 majors by that time. If he hasn’t surpassed Jack, he’ll play until he does I think. Assuming he passes Jack though, he’ll pack it in around his early 40’s. Tiger seems to be super human but age catches up with everyone and I think Tiger is smart enough to know that his game won’t be Tiger-like forever and he’ll want to go out while he’s on top of the game rather than stay too long only to become a fragment of his former self.

I have to agree…I don’t think Tiger will quit at 19. Knowing him he loves to decimate the field so i’m sure he’ll keep going. He also has to look forward to the 2016 Olympics (he’ll be old tho haha) and getting a gold medal.

That’s sick. Two of the greatest golfers of all time with images of their two most significant major victories in their careers (well, the 2008 US Open is Tiger’s most significant major victory thus far in his career).